Rights defenders point to impunity of those responsible for enforced disappearances in Northern Caucasus

During the second Chechen campaign alone, up to 5000 people fell victim of enforced disappearances, and over the past 30 years, about 8000 people have disappeared in Northern Caucasus. The respective cases, when law enforcers were punished are rare; and their impunity leads to reproduction of such crimes, the participants in the discussion "Kidnappings and Enforced Disappearances in Northern Caucasus" have noted.

From 3000 to 5000 people fell victim to enforced disappearances during the second Chechen war, Alexander Cherkasov, a board member of the "Memorial" Centre for Human Rights Defence, has noted during the online session of human rights defenders entitled "Kidnappings and Enforced Disappearances in Northern Caucasus", that was timed to the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

Mr Cherkasov has stressed that there are chances to hold law enforcers accountable. As an example he mentioned the disappearance case of Zelimkhan Murdalov, for which, through the efforts of Natalia Estemirova, Anna Politkovskaya and Stanislav Markelov, the law enforcer known as "Kadet" was brought to justice.

In Northern Caucasus, disappearances continue to this day, said Ekaterina Vanslova, the head of the North Caucasian branch of the Team Against Torture (TaT)*. "The reasons may be different – alleged involvement in LGBT community, oppositional activities, or membership in illegal armed formations (IAFs)," she has stressed.

The disappearance pattern is typical, Ms Vanslova has noted. "This is either a forced detention – a person is detained and taken away, after which he/she appears nowhere else. Or it is a call for voluntary interrogation, after which the person disappears," she has explained, adding that in Chechnya, cases of enforced disappearances are initiated, but "give no result." She pointed to the practice of secret prisons where people are held unofficially and often tortured.

Magomed Mutsolgov, the head of the "Mashr" public organization, said that his younger brother was kidnapped in 2003. Attempts to find out his fate led Mutsolgov to human rights activities. According to his story, over the past 30 years, in Northern Caucasus, from 7500 to 8000 people have been kidnapped and gone missing, and in Ingushetia since 2003 – 230 people.

*The "Team against Torture" (TaT, formerly the "Committee against Torture" – CaT) was created by the lawyers who had earlier worked for the CaT, which was included into the register of the NCOs performing the functions of foreign agents.